1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to techniques for managing access to content. More specifically, the disclosed embodiments relate to techniques for providing location-independent links to content at online content management systems.
2. Related Art
Content on electronic devices is commonly synchronized, stored, shared, and/or backed up on online content management systems such as file hosting services, cloud storage services, and/or remote backup services. For example, images, audio, video, documents, executables, and/or other types of content may be stored on a network-enabled electronic device such as a personal computer, laptop computer, portable media player, tablet computer, and/or mobile phone. A user of the electronic device may also have a user account with a cloud storage service that allows copies of the content to be stored and/or backed up with the cloud storage service. The cloud storage service may further transmit the copies to other electronic devices of the user and/or other users who are authorized to access the files, thus synchronizing the content between the cloud storage service and electronic devices.
However, changes to names and/or locations of content on online content management systems may not be propagated to links to the content. For example, a first user may share a file on a cloud storage service with a second user by providing a link to the file to the other user. The second user may then access (e.g., download) the file by selecting and/or activating the link. On the other hand, the link may be broken if the first user deletes the file, moves the file, renames the file, and/or otherwise changes the file's location (e.g., path) on the cloud storage service. Continued access to the file by the second user may thus require the first user to provide an updated link to the file, which may be inconvenient and/or tedious to one or both users.
Consequently, access to content at online content management systems may be facilitated by location-independent mechanisms for linking to the content.